


mistletoe's for two

by brahe



Series: brahe's 2017 advent bingo [4]
Category: DCU, Justice League (2017), Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: Batdad, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mistletoe, Office Party, Party Crashing, ac2017, adventchallenge, arthur curry is super into ocean conservation pass it on, super friends - Freeform, the Daily Planet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-08 20:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12872280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brahe/pseuds/brahe
Summary: "Hey, you know what would be great?" Barry says. "What if we crash Clark's office holiday party?"





	mistletoe's for two

**Author's Note:**

> all i'm gonna say about the justice league movie is that there was some great dialogue, some good team building, and nice character development, but the really important takeaway is that bruce is super in love with clark. so.  
> today's prompt is "mistletoe" and i thought of the piece of dialogue in the summary and thought it'd be funny to write. alas, it didn't come out as funny as i wanted (bc i'm not very funny), but i'm happy with it.  
> first time writing any of these guys!! so that's pretty exciting. i have lots more planned for them :)
> 
> title this time is from wrapped in red by kelly clarkson

"You know what would be great," Barry says, and Bruce knows it will _not_  be great. "We should crash Superman's - Clark's office party."

Hal perks up from where he's sprawled on one of the sofas across the room. "Yes," he says, already on board. "Just tell me when and where."

"That's a horrible idea," Arthur says, and Bruce agrees wholeheartedly. "We don't all know each other in our regular lives."

"Come on," Barry says. "It would be _so fun_. Imagine the look on Clark's face." He pauses, and his face seems to light up even _more_ , Bruce didn't even know that was possible. "Imagine the looks on everyone _else's_ faces!" 

 

Which is how the Justice League of America ends up crashing the _Daily Planet's_ annual Christmas holiday party.

"Where were you when they decided to do this?" Bruce says, more of a statement than a question, and Diana smiles at him.

"A lady never tells," she says, but her glittering eyes and poorly concealed smirk are dead giveaways.

"You need to work on your poker face," Bruce grumbles, more to their feet than to her, and then car is coming to a stop and they're climbing out onto the sidewalk.

"This is ridiculous," he says, and he's definitely _not_ sulking, not at all.

"Cheer up," she tells him, smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles from her burgundy gown. "It'll be fine."

"Famous last words," Bruce says, but does the button on his suit jacket and follows Diana into the building. 

 

The original plan of arriving separately was nixed as soon as Barry realized Clark would catch on before the full affect was achieved. So Bruce and Diana would come in together, which would undoubtedly make a bit of a scene, and the others would follow behind.

And that's where they are now. The elevator dings and Diana steps out with Bruce behind her, and those nearby turn and don't _gape_ , not quite, but it's a close thing.

There's whispers going around less than half a minute later, but Diana and Bruce have moved further into the room, and the rest of the JLA slides mostly quietly and seamlessly in behind them.

Diana stays with him for as long as it takes Perry White to find them. He offers them both a handshake.

"We weren't expecting you, Mr. Wayne," he says, sounding mostly pleasant. "And you must be Ms. Prince," he tells Diana, and she gives him a smile that's just a little confused. "The _Planet_  has been following your recent discoveries," he adds, and Diana's subtle confusion fades quickly.

"Ah, well, it's been a great opportunity," she says, and Perry bows out after that, heads for the buffet. Diana huffs a little, hands on her hips.

"You're starting to play in a bigger field, now," Bruce tells her, voice quiet, and she gives him a look that would usually come with sticking out her tongue.

"I'm still getting used to it," she says, and smirks when a small group of reporters makes their way to Bruce. "Unlike you," she grins, and leaves him to the wolves.

There's a baradge of questions coming at him, and he only catches a few of them.

"Mr. Wayne, will you comment on the rumors about Richard Grayson?" 

"Mr. Wayne, is it true that you're the primary benefactor of the Justice League?"

"Mr. Wayne, have you ever been to the JLA space station?"

"Mr. Wayne, will you be hosting another holiday party this year?"

"Yes, I will," Bruce answers with a smile that's sugary and fake. "I'll make sure you all aren't on the list," he says, and the group around him laughs.

"Yo, Bruce," says Arthur, appearing from nowhere and slinging an arm around Bruce's shoulders. "I've come to rescue you."

That makes the reporters laugh again, and Bruce waves a hand at Arthur. "This is my friend Arthur Curry," he says, "he's a...uh, he's a conservationist. Very involved with the ocean."

Bruce pats Arthur's chest once and then shrugs out from under his arm, leaving just as Arthur launches into a passionate speech about keeping the oceans clean and plastic free.

 

Bruce is halfway to the drinks table when he spots Clark and changes direction. Clark's sitting on his desk, Barry and Hal next to him, and there's a group of other _Daily Planet_  employees gathered around them. Bruce keeps quiet as he approaches, and he can hear Hal spinning a story from his days as a pilot, no doubt full of drama and heroics. Clark looks up and the brief eye contact is the only acknowledgement Bruce receives until Barry spots him, half yells,

"Bruce! Hal's telling a new one!"

The rest of the group looks at him as he reaches them. He raises an eyebrow at Barry and Hal, who's paused his story at Bruce's arrival.

"A new one, huh?" he says. "I thought we knew all your stories."

"Not this one, B," Hal shakes his head, and then he's back in it, and he has the majority of everyone's attention again.

"Surprised?" Bruce asks, hardly even a whisper, but Clark meets his gaze, and there's a half glare there that's his answer.

"Barry would not be deterred," he says, and Clark doesn't hide his eye roll.

Lois pokes into their group, then, gives a far too knowing look at Clark and Bruce. "I didn't know you had so many friends, Smallville," she says, smug smirk firmly in place.

"I don't tell you _everything_ ," Clark says, smile on his face more like a smirk, too. Lois turns to Bruce.

"Lovely to see you again, Mr. Wayne," she says, and he inclines his head at her.

"Likewise, Ms. Lane." 

And then she disappears again, but the seed's been planted.

"How _do_  you all know each other?" one employee Bruce doesn't recognize asks, and Clark's blush is faint but present.

"Well, Barry works at a crime lab here in Metropolis," Clark starts. "He's helped me with some articles. And I met Hal through him. And, uh, Mr. Wayne here is a hard person to miss at those galas Perry likes sending me to."

That gets a chuckle from a few in their small circle.

"It's certainly hard to miss the aura of _I'm super rich_ ," Barry says, leans back just enough to knock the back of his head gently against Bruce's waist, and he reaches down the shake the kid's hair.

"What can I say?" he says with a shrug, but doesn't miss the way the reporters around them are watching, picking up on the easy familiarity between them.

"Ah, K-Clark, there you are," Diana says, joining their group. She comes up to him, kisses both of his cheeks and squeezes his arms a little. "It is a lovely party." 

"Glad you could make it, Diana,"  Clark says, glaring for half a second at Bruce from over her shoulder.

"Ok, what the hell, Kansas!" Jimmy exclaims. "Did you make friends with a modeling agency?"

Clark chuckles, rubs a hand on the back of his neck. "Something like that."

"Wait, Diana? The museum curator?"

Diana's answering smile is a little tight lipped. "That's me," she says. Bruce pats her arm, smiles at her wide and fake, and bows out with a whispered,

"Payback's a bitch."

 

Bruce actually makes it to the table of drinks this time, and he picks a glass of wine. The party's been in full swing for at least two and a half hours now, and Bruce surveys the room from his quiet spot in the corner. It's nice to not have to be the center of attention at a party, for once. Easier.

He takes a sip of the wine and then tilts the glass to scowl at it.

"Great, isn't it?" comes Clark's voice from right beside him. He looks over, sees Clark smile at him. "Susan brought it. I barely took half a sip before I spit it back out."

"Quite," Bruce says, puts the glass back on the table. He turns to Clark. 

"I told Barry it wasn't a good idea," he starts, but Clark holds up a hand.

"It's okay," he says, and when Bruce goes to protest, Clark continues. "Really. It's fine. I might have to come up with a couple good explanations for why my friend pool is so...diverse, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"I'm sure we'll be reading about this in the papers sometime this week," Bruce muses. "'Billionaire Bruce Wayne crashes _Daily Planet_ holiday party.' Or maybe, 'Has Bruce Wayne adopted another kid?'" Bruce pauses to chuckle at that one, finds his gaze falling on Barry across the room. "I wonder the same thing myself sometimes."

"Or how about 'Billionare Bruce Wayne caught under mistletoe with reporter Clark Kent'?" 

Bruce turns rather abruptly to Clark, caught off guard for one of very few times in his life, and then he's flicking his gaze up to the little twig of mistletoe pinned to the ceiling above them.

Maybe it was supposed to be a joke, but Clark's watching him with some kind of emotion too serious to be joking. Bruce focuses on his face, on the way he's forcing himself to keep his eyes on Bruce, the way the corners of his eyes have wrinkled and his mouth is pulled into something halfway to a frown. On the way the blue of his eyes is like the Atlantic in the summertime, dark and glittering, the way his lips suddenly seem to be the only thing Bruce can pay attention to.

"I can do you one better," Bruce says, and he moves his eyes from Clark's lips to his eyes, takes a step closer so that their chests brush together on the inhale. "'Billionare Bruce Wayne caught kissing reporter Clark Kent.'"

And then that's what's happening - Bruce's hands come up to frame Clark's jaw, tilting his head just a little, and Bruce knew he had two inches on the great Superman as a fact, a state of existence, but it's another thing to know it like this, to know it in the way Clark surges just a little against Bruce, tilts his head a little more to kiss him a little harder.

Clark's own hands are on Bruce's hips, clenching into fists against the fabric of his suit until he remembers himself and unclenches them, only to forget again, in a cycle. They're hip to hip, chest to chest, noses pressed against each other's cheeks, and Bruce cannot get enough. He could lose himself in this, Clark's warm, warm skin against his palms, the slide of their mouths together already so familiar. Bruce kisses him just a little harder, lets it linger just a little longer before coming back in again, and he could do this, _wants_ to do this forever.

Except sudden cheering erupts in the room around them, and Clark, face a brilliant, bright red, turns and looks around, sees the entire office watching them.

Bruce couldn't care less.

"Let's get out of here," he says in half a whisper, doesn't worry about being overheard. He lets his hands fall from Clark's face and grabs onto his hand instead, tugs him gently towards the elevator. 

"Does that line actually work for you?" Clark asks once he remembers how to speak, and Bruce laughs, a bright, happy sound.

"It's working right now," he says, pulling Clark into the elevator and straight into his chest with a smirk aimed at their audience, who are still cheering when the doors ding shut. 

**Author's Note:**

> also news, i made a sideblog for my writing, catch me on tumblr at [brahewrites](https://brahewrites.tumblr.com)


End file.
